The Lady And Alex Payton

by Nikki Benjamin

  “What reasons?” Kari murmured, glancing back at him. “Tell me, Alex. What reasons?”

  “I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” she shot back.

  Refusing to be baited, he stared at her silently. She held his gaze, a pleading look in her eyes, for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, she broke away from him with an indignant toss of her head. And when she spoke again, her voice was cold as ice.

  “I want to call my brother.”

  “Then call him,” he replied, moving back to the table. “The telephone is on the wall by the refrigerator.” He glanced at the clock on the wall, then added, “He’s probably at the office. Do you know the number?”

  “Yes.”

  Seeming surprised that he had given in to her request so easily, she crossed to the telephone, lifted the receiver and punched Devlin’s number into the keypad.

  More than happy to let her brother deal with her, Alex set about clearing the table and loading the dishwasher. He knew Devlin wouldn’t be swayed by her story any more than he had been. But maybe he would have better luck convincing Kari to tell one or the other of them what was really going on with Brandon Selby.

  Devlin answered almost immediately, and though Kari spoke softly and kept her back to him, Alex overheard most of what she said. In a teeth-grindingly cheerful tone, she told her brother, almost word for word, the same lies she’d told him earlier. Following her recitation, she paused, then seemed to be answering several questions.

  As her responses grew terser and terser, Alex gathered she wasn’t getting the reaction she had hoped she would. At last, after several minutes of silence—during which Alex assumed Devlin was lecturing her—she spun around and thrust the receiver at him.

  He could only imagine what her brother had said to her, but from the wrathful look on her face, he figured it wasn’t anywhere near what she’d expected.

  “He wants to talk to you,” she snapped.

  As he took the receiver from her, she sidled past him, her chin tilted at a defiant angle, then stalked back to the table and flung herself into a chair, behaving just the way she had years ago whenever she failed to get her way.

  Smiling to himself, Alex turned away from her just as she’d done to him.

  “Yeah, what’s up?” he asked, wasting no time on a more sociable greeting.

  “She’s lying, isn’t she?” Devlin said matter-of-factly.

  “I’d say so.”

  “And rather obdurately if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Rather obdurately, indeed.”

  “So, now what?”

  “Actually, I was hoping you might have some suggestions,” Alex admitted.

  “Not having any luck charming her into talking to you?”

  “I’m trying. But so far, it doesn’t seem to be working.”

  “Any idea why she’s being so stubborn?” Devlin asked, sounding as if he were truly perplexed.

  “A real good idea,” Alex muttered.

  “Well, then, why don’t you tell me?”

  “I told you once already, but you wouldn’t listen. I’m the wrong man for the job.”

  “Shall I start searching for a replacement?”

  “Not yet.” Alex had never been one to give up, and despite his better judgment, he wasn’t about to start now.

  “Give her a little more time to adjust to the situation,” Devlin urged. “She’ll come around.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on,” he replied.

  However, as he glanced over his shoulder at her, Alex wasn’t so sure he should. Sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, her mouth compressed in a narrow line, she looked more irate than ever.

  “You think it’s Selby who’s scaring her?” Devlin asked.

  “I’m almost positive,” Alex replied. “It’s why that’s got me stumped. So far, she won’t say. But I’m going to do a little digging on my own this afternoon.”

  “You’ve got your computer hooked up?”

  “You bet. I’m ready to surf the ’Net. No telling what kind of interesting information I’ll turn up out in cyberspace.”

  “Well, keep me posted.”

  “Will do,” Alex agreed.

  “You want me to talk to Kari again?”

  “Only if you think it’ll do any good.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Yeah, so do I.”

  “Then I’ll pass,” Devlin said, his voice tinged with laughter.

  “Coward.”

  Chuckling to himself, Alex hung up. Then, sobering once more, he turned to find Kari glaring at him.

  “I wanted to talk to Devlin again.”

  “Then call him back.”

  “I will.” Her chin tilted even higher, she regarded him challengingly. “From San Antonio.”

  He leaned against the counter, hands braced on his hips, and offered her a smile.

  “Have a nice walk. A nice long walk.”

  “That’s my car parked outside. I’m driving back.”

  “Not without your keys.” His smile widening, he patted the side pocket of his shorts.

  “All right, then. I’ll walk.”

  Staring at him defiantly, she stood, then crossed to the opposite end of the counter, grabbed her purse, slung the strap over her shoulder and headed toward the door.

  “Before you go, I should tell you there’s six miles of gravel lane from here to the paved road. And it’s at least ninety-five degrees outside. You might want to wait until dark, when it’ll be a little cooler, but with only a flashlight to guide the way, the going will probably be even rougher then.”

  She whirled around, started to say something, then appeared to think better of it. After eyeing him a moment longer, she walked back to the table and, seeming utterly defeated, sat in her chair again.

  The last thing he wanted to do was break her spirit. Yet he was greatly relieved she wasn’t foolhardy enough to walk off just to spite him.

  Not that he would have let her get far before hauling her back to the house. He’d meant it when he said he intended to keep her there by whatever means he found necessary. But he’d rather avoid having to use physical force on her. Even for her own good.

  “You know, Kari, I’m not enjoying this any more than you are.” He returned to the table and sat down, too. “But until you tell me exactly what’s going on at Selby Stables, I won’t let you go back there.”

  As if she were carved of stone, she sat still and silent, refusing to acknowledge him.

  Reaching out, he touched her arm lightly as he added, “Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, I’ll help you get out, and I’ll do my damnedest to see that you’re not hurt in the process. I swear I will.”

  After what seemed like a very long time, but could have been no more than a minute or two, she turned her head slowly until she met his gaze. Her expression was so bleak it was all he could do to keep from going to her and gathering her into his arms. Only his firm belief that she would bitterly resent any offer of solace from him stayed the urge. But ever so gently, ever so encouragingly, he stroked her bare arm with his fingertips.

  For one long moment, he sensed her wavering, and calling on what little patience he had left, he waited. Sadly, in vain. Instead of capitulating as he had anticipated she would, she drew her arm away and stood.

  “As I told you once already, Alex, I don’t want or need your help. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I’ve done so in the past, and I have every intention of doing so in the future.”

  Turning away from him, she moved toward the hallway, her demeanor haughty. And though he would have liked nothing better than to sit her down again and force her to see reason, Alex let her go.

  She was angry enough already. Provoking her further, especially in her current state of mind, would only make her more obstinate. He’d do better to leave her alone for a while. Maybe then she’d come to her senses more readily.

  While talking to her brother hadn’t caused any significan
t change in her attitude, she hadn’t seemed quite so resolute about keeping her own counsel. When he’d offered to help her just now, she had vacillated. As if, Alex thought, she’d been more than half-tempted to confide in him.

  She was a smart woman. Surely, with Devlin’s encouragement, she was already well on her way to realizing she had more to gain than lose by having him on her side. Perhaps given some time to herself, she’d finally be ready to act accordingly. Alex certainly hoped so. She needed him, despite her vehement denials, and he had every intention of being there for her. Whether she liked it or not.

  The sound of the back bedroom door closing punctuated Alex’s thoughts. Satisfied he’d done all he could for her for the time being, he crossed to the panel on the wall by the rear door and punched in the code that activated the outer perimeter alarm. Just in case she decided to slip out a window. Then he finished cleaning up the kitchen and headed for the room he’d set up as an office.

  He’d meant to do his research on Selby last night. But then he’d gone into the bedroom to check on Kari one last time and made the mistake of sitting down in the chair. Only for a moment, he’d told himself as he gazed at her with a hunger that was almost unbearable. Instead of getting up again, he’d fallen sound asleep himself, and lost what chance he’d had of staying several steps ahead of her.

  Now, with her in self-imposed exile, he had all afternoon to make up for lost time. He doubted she would seek him out again before early evening. And by then, with a little help from his friendly computer, he ought to know a whole hell of a lot more about Brandon Selby than he did at the moment.

  That, in turn, would enable him to question Kari more adroitly the next go-around. Specific questions more often than not elicited specific answers. Especially when the questions were rapidly and relentlessly volleyed.

  Alex worked steadily for several hours, tapping into one data bank after another, some accessible only via his security code. Slowly but surely, he began to see a disturbing pattern emerge.

  Late in the afternoon he took a break. Having heard nothing from Kari since she’d taken refuge in the bedroom, he went to check on her. Much to his relief, he found her curled up on the bed, sound asleep. Glad she was getting some rest, he went back to the computer, leaving her undisturbed.

  By the time he finally shut down for the day, he had a fairly good idea what was going on at Selby Stables. And if he was on the right track, and Kari was somehow involved, even inadvertently, he also understood why she was so scared she couldn’t sleep.

  Any man ruthless enough to kill show horses for a cut of the insurance money wouldn’t think twice about eliminating someone who could incriminate him. He wouldn’t want his reputation ruined. And with the expenses Selby had been incurring lately, neither could he afford to give up his little sideline.

  What Alex hadn’t been able to determine was why Kari seemed to be protecting the bastard. He hadn’t come across any evidence that she’d benefited financially. Not that he believed she would willingly go along with such barbarity. But surely she had to have some inkling of what he was up to. Otherwise why would she be so afraid?

  Yet she hadn’t accused Selby of anything. And she wouldn’t, Alex realized as he sat back in his chair. Not until she had absolute proof. She was too fair-minded to do anything else.

  She was also too damned dauntless for her own good. Anyone else would have gotten out of there as fast as she could once she realized what was going on. But not Kari. Her conscience wouldn’t let her do that. Instead she had decided to stick around long enough to gather whatever evidence she could in order to stop Selby on her own.

  From the information Alex had managed to uncover, he had an idea she’d been playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the man for some time now. One that she must realize could get her killed. Yet she wasn’t about to back off.

  Alex shuddered to think what might have happened to her if Devlin hadn’t sensed that something was wrong. But she was safe now, and he intended to make sure she stayed that way. She wasn’t going anywhere near Brandon Selby again. Not as long as he had anything to say about it.

  And he planned to have quite a lot to say about it.

  Only not just yet, he reminded himself. He still had a little work to do before he was ready to confront her. Work that would have to wait until the following day.

  First thing in the morning, however, he was going to make a few phone calls. Calls to find out if any law-enforcement agencies were involved yet. Insurance fraud was a major crime, and he didn’t want to step on any toes. Once he’d gotten squared away with the proper authorities, he’d talk to Kari. And then...?

  Then maybe he’d take her away for a while. Far, far away. Maybe to a secluded island in the Caribbean where she’d be well out of reach until Selby was behind bars. Well out of reach of anyone but him.

  With a rueful shake of his head, Alex stood and stretched. One of these days he was going to have to face the fact that he could never have that kind of relationship with her.

  He gathered together the papers on his desk and shoved them in a drawer. Then, as his stomach growled, reminding him it was almost suppertime, he wandered down the hallway and tapped on the bedroom door.

  “What?” Kari demanded, sounding supremely annoyed.

  He opened the door and saw her standing by one of the windows, looking as if she’d just awakened.

  “I thought I’d fix spaghetti for supper,” he advised.

  She shrugged indifferently as she gazed out the window.

  “Suit yourself.”

  “Want to give me a hand with the salad?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then come sit at the table and keep me company.”

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  “Asking,” he replied, his temper finally starting to fray. She really could be a pain in the butt when she set her mind to it.

  “I’d rather not.” Shifting slightly so that he could no longer see her face, she leaned against the window frame.

  “All right, then. I’ll come and get you when the food is ready.”

  “I’m not really very hungry.”

  “Wait until you get a whiff of my special sauce. You won’t be able to resist.”

  Without waiting for her to reply, Alex turned away, purposely leaving the door open.

  He was half-tempted to send her back to Selby after all. But only for a moment. Much as he’d like to wring her neck, he didn’t really relish the idea of anyone else doing it.

  Pausing in the living room, he chose a CD from the stack on the shelf, slid the disc into the player and adjusted the volume. Then, letting the moody blues he loved soothe his weary soul, he set to work in the kitchen.

  Kari could stay in the bedroom and sulk all she wanted. He was going to eat a good meal, maybe drink a glass of wine, then soak in the hot tub for a while. He was on vacation, after all. A well-deserved vacation. And he was going to make the most of it. Whether she cooperated or not.

  Arms crossed over her chest, Kari stood by the bedroom window long after Alex left her, frowning as she weighed her options. To say they were limited would be an understatement. She could stay and tell Alex the truth, stay and continue to lie or try to get away.

  As far as she was concerned, her alternatives were equally unappealing. But she had to make a decision soon. For her own emotional well-being.

  She wished she hadn’t slept away the afternoon. Maybe then she would have already come up with a plan of action. Instead she still seemed barely able to think straight.

  But when Devlin had refused to believe her, and then Alex began badgering her again, she’d felt so damned defeated. Alone in the bedroom, she’d curled up on the bed and finally indulged in a few self-pitying tears. Eventually, she’d fallen sound asleep again. When she’d awakened less than an hour ago, rather than feeling rested and refreshed she’d been even more out of sorts than ever.

  She couldn’t understand why she’d let the two of them
get her down. She ran several miles a day and rode for hours on end in the heat of summer. A six-mile walk wouldn’t have done her in. She could have changed into shorts, a T-shirt and running shoes, slipped out the window and been long gone.

  Actually, she admitted, she still could. Since Alex was busy in the kitchen, he probably wouldn’t realize she was gone for at least thirty minutes or more. And if she kept to the woods rather than the gravel lane, he’d have a harder time finding her.

  But was that what she really wanted to do? Was she that desperate to get away from him? So desperate she’d make her way back to Selby Stables any way she could, knowing she’d have to face Brandon on her own once she got there?

  If Brandon had begun to suspect she was onto him, as she was afraid he had, Kari knew he would try to get rid of her permanently. And she’d have no one to watch her back. Was taking that kind of chance better than accepting whatever assistance Alex could offer her, as Devlin had urged repeatedly?

  Granted, her brother had no idea just how hurtfully Alex had treated her six years ago. And, of course, he wouldn’t know how susceptible she still was to his charms. He hadn’t seen any problem with his best friend lending his little sister a helping hand. And he certainly wouldn’t understand how devastating her resultant dependence on him could be.

  In order for Alex to help her, they’d have to work together closely. And that kind of contact with him wouldn’t do her any emotional good at all. She simply wasn’t impervious enough to be with him on a daily basis and, at the same time, maintain the kind of distance necessary to keep from having her heart broken all over again.

  The more time she spent with him, the more difficult it would be for her to remember he was only doing Devlin a favor. To remember that no matter how kindly he treated her, she meant nothing to him personally, and never would. To remember that when all was said and done, he’d leave her again just as blithely as he had before.

  So why hadn’t she changed her clothes yet? Why hadn’t she crept out the window and run into the woods?

  Because she wasn’t about to allow Brandon to get away with what he’d done, and taking him on alone was just too dangerous. She didn’t really want to end up dead.